Seattle is known for producing some great music and Roman Holiday is no exception. Made up of Nick Howard (bass), Shane Lance (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Daniel Collins (lead guitar), and Emerson Shotwell (drums, percussion) this alternative rock quartet will capture your attention at first listen.
The band recently released their single “Fuel The Fire” on iTunes. The song will also be on their upcoming LP Move Your Heart, Shake Your Bones.
The band has been creating buzz in their hometown and abroad, regularly drawing hundreds of fans each night, who passionately sing along with frontman Shane Lance.
Roman Holiday additionally found acclaim overseas when on tour in the U.K. they caught the ear of music industry veterans Dennis Sinnott & Adam Mills, both long-time entrepreneur’s of records, publishing and artist management. Sinnot and Mills quickly coordinated a round of showcases in the U.K, with several major labels and publishing companies in attendance.
Roman Holiday is a trip that you can’t get enough. The heart pounding melodies and group chorus’ have a rock hard, but are light and melodic enough to please anyone. Before you know it you will be singing along to the infectious lyrics.
ESBMusic had the chance to catch up with the band and discuss their background, what to expect from their new LP, and their plans for the rest of the year.
ESBM:: How did you come up with your band name?
RH: Well, first off, we love the classic movie ‘Roman Holiday’ with Audrey Hepburn. But. Truthfully. We were brainstorming band name ideas and really hadn’t come up with anything that we felt like fit us. Somehow in the process we got on the topic of Rome. So really late one night we get a text from our producer, Mark, saying “How about ‘Roman Holiday’?!”. It’s the title of a great classic movie with the beautiful Audrey Hepburn. After we all talked about it we felt like it was a name that we could run with. We’ve been Roman Holiday ever since then.
ESBM::How did the band form and start?
RH: We’ve all played music since we were young. About 3 years ago the four of us had been playing off and on together in a different local band, but not really pursuing anything seriously. Shane started to work at a recording studio in the area and began talking with the studio owner, Mark Simmons, about starting a Rock project to pour studio resources into. Shane brought up that he’d been playing music with some guys, then brought us in to play a few songs for Mark. Mark really saw potential in us. At that point we began writing, rehearsing, and recording at the studio along with Marks input. That’s essentially when we became Roman Holiday.
ESBM:: A lot of people have compared your sound to Kings of Leon. How do you feel about that?
RH: Nice! Interesting question. As with any band, people like to make comparisons. There are a handful of bands we get compared to fairly consitently, I guess every once in awhile we hear ‘Kings of Leon’. We don’t mind. They’re a good band who play real music, so it doesn’t bother us when people hear our songs and draw comparisons.
ESBM:: “Fuel The Fire” is your first single off your latest album. How was that song chosen?
RH: “Fuel The Fire” was one of the last songs to be written for our upcoming record “MOVE YOUR HEART//SHAKE YOUR BONES”. As we were writing it, we fell in love with the groove and feel of the song, and felt like people would too. It’s an easy song to ‘get’. You hear it once and you know it. And it’s easy to relate to. That’s what we feel makes a good single. When it came time to choose the first single, that song was the obvious choice.
ESBM::What can we expect of your upcoming LP?
RH: Great songs. We truly feel that way. As artists, not often do you get to the end of a creative venture and look back and feel like you laid it down just right. We feel that way about our new record. From the song writing, to the tones on the record, all the way to the way it sounds and feels coming out of a stereo, we feel great about this one. We can’t wait to get it out to you all. Literally.
ESBM:: You have possible upcoming tour plans. What places are you most excited to play?
RH: Right now we’re internally working on some tour plans, we’ll keep you all posted. We will most definitely be out again soon though! We just returned from Europe and that was a fantasic experience. I think we all have different places that we’re excited to play. But collectively, we cannot wait to tour the entire world.
ESBM:: What is your dream tour? Who do you want to play with?
RH: Our dream tour would be an extesive world arena tour. Who with? Opening for The Beatles, The Stones, Johnny Cash, M. Ward, and Justin Beiber. All true, except for Justin Beiber.
ESBM:: Seattle is a historic place for music. How did this influence your sound?
RH: Growing up here has really given us a great appreciation for good music, and well written songs. So many great artists have been born out of Seattle, and so many great artists have thrived here. It’s a city where music is loved, so it’s an easy place to be comfortable as a musician. We’ve learned to truly appreciate the heritage of the Seattle sound, while also being able to find our own, unique sound.
ESBM:: What’s the local music scene like in Seattle?
RH: It’s very diverse. The singer song-writer/folk scene is really thriving right now. A lot of great music coming out of it. But one best things about Seattle is that the city just has a true appreciation for ‘good music’, whatever the style.
ESBM:: There is an acoustic video of you guys on YouTube. Do you prefer acoustic?
RH: No. But we do very much enjoy it. It’s a fun change up. Our favorite part about doing acoustic sets is allowing people to really connect with the songs in a new way; to connect with the raw, pure, stripped down version of the song.
ESBM:: Who are you listening to right now?
RH: We all have varying taste in music, but some of the records we’re listening to at the moment are:
El Camino by The Black Keys, the new Bon Iver record, Curse Your Branches by David Bazan,Economy by John Mark McMillan, all albums by The Strokes, M. Ward, andRubber Soul by The Beatles.
ESBM:: What are your plans for the rest of the year?
RH: To release our new record “MOVE YOUR HEART//SHAKE YOUR BONES”, to tour as much as possible, and to do whatever it takes to make the whole world fall in love with Roman Holiday.
For more information on Roman Holiday. Check out their official website and Facebook page. Get this single and all their other music now on iTunes.
